From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

Across the vast and boundless sea, dozens of warships from the Fischer and Romann families lined up in formation, preparing to face the imminent naval battle.

This sea battle was instigated by the Fischer family, who deliberately sailed to the southern waters, posing a threat to attack the port and then directly march on the Royal Capital, forcing the Adley Royal Family to dispatch their ships for battle.

As for why they initiated this battle, it was naturally because the Fischer family was confident of victory!

Aldrich had been full of doubts, but Byrne was extremely insistent.

"Don't worry, as long as we choose the sea as our battlefield, we will surely win... Although I can't reveal our trump card, I hope you can trust me!"

He finally succeeded in convincing Aldrich.

At this moment, the sailors of the Romann family looked at the Fischer family's ships with surprise.

"How come those ships are powered by steam engines?"

"They're not using sails, aren't they afraid of offending the Tempest Church?"

"Hmph, those soulless things won't have any fighting capability!"

They muttered among themselves, deep down feeling anxious and fearful towards the ships they had never seen before.

Fortunately, the Fischer family was their ally!

"Stars Mortal" Ariel was also on board, gazing at the Fischer's steam warships, recalling what Byrne had said to her not long ago.

He planned to build ironclad warships covered entirely in steel armor.

"How is that possible? A ship made entirely of iron would sink, wouldn't it? Does every ship spend a huge amount of money to set up powerful Arrays to increase power?"

That was her first thought at the time.

"No, you're wrong."

Byrne's idea was that steam engines could keep the ships powered, and they had done the math. The shipyard had already begun preliminary design work.

At this moment, Ariel suddenly felt that perhaps the Fischer family could really build an ironclad warship.

"According to the Reforging Church Priests, people will sooner or later invent something that can shake the status of Transmutation Level Extraordinary Exponents... Could ironclad warships be what they're referring to?"

The sea breeze was piercing cold, and black steam continuously drifted into the sky, each of the Fischer family's warships resembling a beast ready to pounce on the sea.

"Hurry up! Hurry up!"

The cannons of the steam warships, pointing toward the distance, with their barrels reflecting a cold and sharp light, the soldiers on decks were busy in a tense yet orderly manner, checking the loading and aiming of the guns.

The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and salty sea water, a mix that made one tense involuntarily. Waves slapped the underside of the battleships, creating a thunderous roar.

The clouds in the sky hung low, gradually covering the sunlight and casting a gloomy atmosphere over the entire sea.

Many seagulls circled above the sea, squawking shrilly, adding to the unease.

The warships communicated through a channel maintained by Extraordinary Exponents, and the battle commander from the Dawn Church, the Daybreaker Yeager, relayed various orders and instructions. Each warship was tactically placed on the battlefield like a chess piece, awaiting his command.

Now graying at the temples, Yeager was planning how to ascend to the 5th Rank on Path of Conquest.

"I will certainly become the first Blood Receiver to ascend to the 5th Rank..."

Their opponents were numerous warships belonging to the Adley Royal Family, even outnumbering them by double.

However, these warships were wooden alchemical barques, a grade lower than the Fischer family's steam warships.

The two sides soon engaged in intense naval warfare, and the Extraordinary Exponents from both sides also came forward, with each ship hosting Transmutation Level or 3rd and 4th Rank Extraordinary Exponents.

On the turbulent sea, Extraordinary powerful experts quickly engaged in a thrilling battle. Many figures flitted ghost-like through the waves, each leap accompanied by astonishing power and speed.

"Follow me!"

Familiar with naval warfare, Archibald let out a roar, leading the charge on the surface of the sea, displaying great bravery.

Through the power of "Hand of Austere Winter," he froze the surrounding sea, allowing many Extraordinary Exponents who couldn't fly or jump well to also launch an assault.

The two sides quickly joined battle on the ice!

Sea breezes howled by, the weapons of the Extraordinary Exponents glinted with cold light in the sun, cutting into the icy surface, churning up waves; some wielded huge hammers, each strike sending tremors across the ice sheet, while others moved swiftly and gracefully, turning the art of combat into a dance.

The noise of battle was deafening, with a torrent of gunfire intertwined with Extraordinary Power, a spectacular sight.

At last, several Monarch Level Extraordinary Exponents from both sides joined the fray!

All the warships and common Extraordinary Exponents tactfully dispersed to the sides, not daring to involve themselves in the battle of the Monarch Level, for the aftershocks alone were deadly.

"Stars Mortal" Ariel saw her opponent was "Hunter in the Fog," Jayern from the Abernathy family.

"Does your family really have to help the Royal Family? As far as I know, your ally, Marquis Vlad, has his own ideas, doesn't he?"

Jayern nodded calmly, speaking slowly, "Sorry, Madam Ariel... I cannot defy my family's decision. Actually, if there were a choice, I would rather that this civil war not happen at all."

"Every Cyart death pains my heart."

Ariel sneered.

"Hmph, hypocrite!"

Every collision between them stirred up huge waves, quickly dragging the surrounding ships into the turmoil, yet the Monarch powerful experts paid no mind to these, focusing solely on the battle.

Compared to the warships of enemies or allies, one's own life is more important… oneself is the "big picture"!

More and more of both sides' warships were struck by the aftermath, crumbling apart, Yeager immediately issued an order.

"Begin!"

Many soldiers and Extraordinary Exponents began to activate their spell inscriptions, providing continuous tactical support to their side's Monarch powerful experts, and both sides gradually reached a deadlock.

On the deck of a steam warship, Helen was immersed in her artistic creation.

The presence of the young girl contrasted sharply with the behemoth, yet she harmoniously blended as one with it.

Her long hair was skillfully tied back, a few strands fluttering in the wind, her eyes deep and bright, as if they could perceive every detail of the warship, and then she captured these details accurately on the canvas.

"It's almost done…"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

In Helen's hand was a specially made brush, custom-designed for the ship's environment, resistant to seawater corrosion while maintaining smooth brush strokes.

The brush danced swiftly across the canvas, the color-laden bristles leaping onto the canvas, creating a series of vivid images.

Especially the outline of an enemy warship was depicted robustly and powerfully, its lines straight and resilient, exuding a sense of majesty and strength that anyone could feel.

Her eyes sparkled with a steadfast pursuit of art, each brushstroke was an exploration of beauty, the act of painting itself was her way of excavating the landscapes of her inner world.

Even the enemy warships were depicted perfectly by Helen, without the slightest distortion.

As her brushstrokes grew more intense, the warship on the canvas suddenly came under a violent attack, with flames shooting to the sky and smoke spreading.

She took a deep breath, expended all her Spiritual Power, and murmured to herself.

"Reflect reality."

As Helen completed her painting, everyone on a distant enemy warship felt an inexplicable shudder, and the colossal body of the warship began to shake violently, people looking around in terror.

"What's happening!"

"What occurred?"

An invisible attack traversed a great distance, directly affecting the enemy's warship!

Helen's paintings seemed to possess some mystic power, as the disasters depicted in them started unfolding in reality; the enemy warship was hit by intangible artillery, flames rose to the sky, and a massive explosion echoed, shocking everyone's heart, while the waves beat furiously against the hull, leaving the warship teetering in the giant swells.

"How… how is this possible?"

A veteran nearby, his voice trembling, his face etched with shock and disbelief.

It never crossed his mind that an artist's painting could wield such extraordinary power, capable of altering the course of reality.

"This is unbelievable!"

The soldiers' gazes all gathered on Helen, their eyes filled with admiration and curiosity, feeling that the Extraordinary Exponents of the Fischer family were indeed formidable, yet uncertain whether she was a mid-level Transmutation or higher-level Extraordinary Exponent, as common folk could not tell the difference.

Standing amid everyone, Helen gently said:

"I am but a painter, who uses the brush to depict the world I see and feel, the reason my paintings can influence reality is that they bear the landscapes deep within my heart."

Since what I saw was war, naturally it could bring about destruction, slaughter, and death…

Helen silently watched the enemy warship sinking into the sea in the distance, if she didn't possess the Destiny's Trajectory of a "Fantasy Fellow" and a vast amount of Spiritual Power, she probably couldn't have achieved this level.

The 3rd Rank of the Path of Wholeheartedness, "Painter", was represented in the Spirit Realm as a girl brimming with childlike innocence, smiling gently.

Physical attributes enhanced by 15, Spiritual Power by 55, and the "Painter" only received one kind of extraordinary power, but its effect was incredibly potent.

"Spirit Brush".

"Painter" could induce supernatural effects upon something within the painting through a ritualistic form of drawing, the larger the impact caused, the more Spiritual Power the user expended.

The greatest advantage of "Spirit Brush" is its strong versatility; the obvious disadvantage is that the ritual takes a long time to prepare, and because the background also needs to be drawn as detailed as possible, it can't be pre-prepared with portraits, making it virtually useless during sudden close encounters.

Just then, the ship beneath her feet suddenly began to rock.

"What's going on?"

Having exhausted her Spiritual Power, Helen almost fell, struggling to steady herself, only to see something quite horrific rising from the seabed.

What was that thing?

She looked on in utter amazement at the colossal monster hovering above the sea!

The "spider creature" emerging from the seabed was enormous, over thirty meters tall, akin to a moving fortress, built of sturdy magic alloy, its surface covered with intricate magic runes that flickered with a dim light when the puppet moved, as if a life were pulsating within; its eight limbs were thick and strong, each one like a massive column, embedded with sharp magical gleaming blades capable of tearing through the stoutest defenses.

It was a war-time alchemical puppet!

Essentially, it was also an alchemical tool!

However, no one had ever seen such an awe-inspiring alchemical tool!

Helen clutched her hands tightly, a surge of intense fear rising from the depths of her being, hearing Madam Ariel's astonished exclamation nearby.

"Adley Royal Family, you definitely could not have created such a thing!"